Waking Up to Love

The Buddha didn’t have a whole lot of advice when it comes to the cupid’s arrow, Whitman’s sampler, dozen red roses kind of love. The tradition is, however, rich in instruction on how to cultivate and appreciate the inherent love, kindness, and compassion that is all around us (if we can wake up and take note of it).

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are six stories from the Tricycle archives on all the kinds of love—romantic and otherwise—that are important in our lives.

Sex, Love, and BuddhismDo I need to stop having sex to live an enlightened life? How can I have rewarding, non-harming relationships? Longtime Thich Nhat Hanh student Allan Badiner weighs in on these timeless and pervasive questions for dharma practitioners.

The Joy of No SexA lay practitioner reveals one of the most liberating decisions of her life: celibacy.

Love Becomes HerWhen we use our attention to touch and open the deeper truth in a person, the source of love is revealed to be within us, and we no longer have to go looking for it somewhere outside.

Love Is All AroundWe are naturally endowed with the purest love, compassion, wisdom, and tranquility. In a moment of enlightenment, we notice these qualities have been around us, and within us, from the very beginning, writes professor and Courage of Care Coalition cofounder John Makransky.